Hobart FEG Manages Facility Security from Everywhere

Hobart FEG offers the latest technology
in food equipment, but the main
campus' security system was long out of
date. After investigating the options,
Hobart FEG implemented the S2 Netbox
to provide IP-based access control,
integrated badge making capabilities
and the ability for the safety manager to
administer the system remotely from
any location.

Making a Change

Hobart FEG's legacy security system
could no longer meet the company's
security requirements. In addition, the
system was actually two stand-alone
systems, each requiring individual
maintenance. The vendor for one of the
systems had gone out of business,
leaving Hobart FEG without support for
a rapidly aging system.

A key requirement for Hobart FEG safety
manager Steve Adams was that the new
system allow for remote management.
Adams is required to visit each of the
company's 100 branches, located in 49
states, every year at least once, while still
overseeing security at the main campus
and its eight buildings.

In addition to remote management
capabilities, Adams wanted a tighter
level of security, easier administration,
low-cost and simple transfer from the
old system to the new, and the option to
reuse existing field equipment.

While ready for a major change, Adams
was wary of systems that were complex
and difficult to operate and maintain.
Adams works with a small staff and
limited resources, and needed a system
that would offer all of the features and
benefits he wanted, would be easy to
use, and that would still be a good value.

Implementing the S2 NetBox

It was clear that Hobart FEG needed to
raise the overall level of security while
reducing maintenance requirements.
Adams worked with system integrator
NWOSS which recommended S2
Security Corporation's S2 NetBox. The
S2 NetBox leverages existing network
infrastructure and offers increased
scalability and flexibility. The system's
Web-based architecture provides remote
monitoring capabilities from any
computer connected to a network and
remote access for maintenance. And the
S2 NetBox eliminates the need for a
dedicated server and workstation.
Combined, these factors reduce the cost
to install, operate and maintain the
system.

Adams knew that the move to an IPbased
system would involve not only the
security team, but the IT groups that
manage the facilities' networks. The S2
NetBox quickly got their approval.

"When you are putting something on
the network, you need to have IT buyin,"
reported Adams. "They had some
concerns about protecting the network
and maintaining its efficiency. But the IT
group was really impressed with how the
S2 NetBox works and that it doesn't tie
up bandwidth."

The S2 NetBox also allowed Hobart FEG
to reuse existing field equipment,
leaving in place the more than 175 card
readers that Hobart FEG had previously
installed along with an updated badge
printer. The open architecture of the S2
NetBox meant that Adams would be
able to select best-of-breed products
from a range of manufacturers to
expand the system in the future. "What I
didn't want was to again be tied to one
manufacturer," said Adams. "The S2
NetBox gives us the option of adding to
the system in ways that we want to with
a number of vendors, rather than
needing to invest again in a replacement
system."

Though the Hobart FEG main campus'
eight buildings are spread out over land
the size of several city blocks, the
expansive location was not a problem
for installing the S2 NetBox. Installation
took less than the estimated time and
the data transfer was managed with
almost no down time to the system.

Security on the Road

The S2 NetBox provides greater security
and tighter control of the system by
enabling Adams to quickly make
changes and additions when needed.
"The process of adding a user to the
system, providing someone with a
badge, or ensuring that they had the
access they needed and only the access
they needed, used to be a huge
undertaking," Adams said. "I am really
pleased with how simple these
processes have become, even with the
increased level of security."

The S2 NetBox system has also proven
extremely easy for Adams' staff to use.
The system requires little user training,
and does not require software
installation on any user computer. "User
training needs to be efficient," Adams
said. "The browser interface of the S2
NetBox makes using the system
intuitive."

Adams is especially pleased that he can
now administer and monitor the system
remotely while visiting those various
out-of-state locations, or after hours
from his home. "Before the S2 NetBox, if
something needed to happen with the
system while I was offsite, it meant
contacting me for access to the system
and then relying on someone else to
make it happen, creating yet another
security concern," Adams recalled.
"Now I can actually administer the
system from my laptop and monitor the
facility from wherever I am that I can
access the Internet. The Hobart FEG
campus is definitely more secure as a
result, and I am a much more effective
safety manager."